Modern day websites are all about usability; user experience (UX) is everything in website design these days. All designers want to take the design process to the next level. One of the pre-requisites to achieve the next level in website designing is zeroing in on a fantastic workflow, which allows you to quickly iterate your designs and also test your concepts. This is where website prototyping comes into the picture. There are plenty of available tools that you can choose from that will help you and your clients get an idea of how a website will look like, before you take it through the actual design process.

The problem here is one of plenty. There are so many website prototyping tools available out there, that you will be hard-pressed to make the right choice. You might end up with a tool that is really quite good, but difficult to use, if you aren’t careful about what you are choosing. In this article, I have listed down 15 website prototyping tools that I believe are very user friendly. You can literally hit the ground running with them.

Let’s take a look at them.

UXPin

 

 

This is one of the top rated prototyping tools for responsive web design. For responsive designs you will need to create fully functional responsive prototypes and that’s why working with UXPin will be a good idea. What’s more, it’s also user friendly.

OmniGraffle

This very easy to use tool helps you create process charts, web page layouts, website frames and even graphic designs. OmniGraffle will take care of all your graphic design requirements. The only problem, it’s only available for Mac and/or iPad users.

 Gliffy

If you want to create professional quality flow charts quickly and comprehensively, this is the tool you must use. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, this tool has a very low learning curve and you can start working with it as soon as you install it.

Moqups

This is a neat little HTML5 app that can be used to create wireframes, mockups, and website prototypes. It offers users ‘stencils’ that mimic UI elements, which you can pick and choose from, to create your prototypes.

Axure

Interactive wireframe software, Axure allows you to create an interactive HTML website wireframe or UI mockup and send its links to clients for review. To be very sure whether this HTML prototyping tool is the right fit for you or not, first download its trial version and then go on to buy its paid version.

WireframeSketcher

This tool will help you create prototypes for desktop, web and mobile applications quickly and in some detail. It makes available Android, iPhone, iPad, and Windows Phone stencils, helping you create your own assets SVG images.

Mockingbird

If you are looking for an online tool that will help you create, link together, preview and share detailed mockups of your website, this is a good pick. It offers you a whole range of features that will help create a wholly satisfying user experience.

Pencil Project

This is an open source GUI prototyping tool and is available for all commonly used desktop platforms. East to install and easier to use, this is one tool that is right up there when it comes to user friendliness.

 Solidify

If you want to build clickable prototypes, this is the tool you must use. It facilitates quick and easy interface prototyping and at the same time you can even test whether these prototypes will work on desktop platforms, mobile devices or tablets.

Protoshare

Whether you are designing an interactive website or an application or a mobile app, Protoshare, will help you create, refine and review website prototypes.  It offers a wholly iterative method for website prototyping.

Antetype

This is an excellent prototyping tool for website development companies who have to handle a large number of projects, wherein every one of them has tremendous scale and scope. Developers can create their own set of widgets that they can use for prototyping.

FlairBuilder

This is an Adobe AIR application that will help you create interactive wireframes for both websites and mobile applications.  Offering developers numerous options, it ensures that the prototype will be comprehensive and create a good impression on your clients.

POP – Prototyping on Paper

If you think taking the traditional pen and paper route for website prototyping is easier, this tool allows you to do just that. Once you draw or sketch your wireframes, you can import them to POP by taking their camera shot. You can then take your sketches to the next level to simulate the interface.

 Justinmind

Another platform that helps define your web applications with rich interactive wireframes. It helps you create the full user experience, which allows you to get a better idea of what your website will look like.

Jumpchart

This is one of my personal favorites because it allows me to easily generate hierarchal prototypes quickly and easily.  It also allows me to export them to HTML.  A good tool and definitely something that is very easy to use.